Population decline. Causes of the population decline 10/19/2011

Transcription

1 Ashley Unger M.S. Candidate University of Tennessee Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Population decline Annual Central Hardwoods region decline of 3.0% 2.6% decline within Kentucky Sauer et. al 2011 Causes of the population decline Habitat Loss Clean farming practices Succession Urbanization Habitat Fragmentation Decline of native grasslands species diversity Stoddard 1931, Brennan 1991, Burger

2 Introductionto reclaimed mines The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 states that a diverse, effective, and permanent vegetative cover of the same seasonal variety and native to the area and capable of selfregeneration and plant succession will be established. Over 1.5 million acres in the Eastern US and 378,000 acres in KY Problems on reclaimed mines SMCRA also states that introduced species may be used in the revegetation process where desirable and necessary to achieve the approved postmining land use plan 2

3 Quail habitat? Desired structure: nesting material bare ground forb cover woody cover Mosaic of vegetation types (Stoddard 1931) Peabody structure: blocks of vegetation thick growth limited bare ground Suboptimal, but usable Objectives Study the seasonal habitat selection of northern bobwhite on reclaimed mined land Determine the effect of continuous habitat management on hbitt habitat selection and movement Study Area Managed under Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Reclaimed coal mine released in 1995 Over 8,200 acres Four major vegetation types = 91% of area 3

4 Methods Radio Telemetry Monitoring Stoddard Funnel Traps Band, age, sex, and weigh Necklace style collars Locate 3x per week Homing in to at least 50m Record date, time, GPS location, azimuth, distance, and activity Stoddard 1931 Methods Parameter Summer Winter Nesting Woody density X X Distance to woody cover X X Distance to bare ground X Visual obstruction X X Litter X X Species composition X X Ground sighting distance X Nudds 1977, Limb et. al 2007 Methods: Summer Vegetation 0m 5m 10m 15m 20m 25m 30m 5m 10m 4

5 Methods: Winter Vegetation 10m Woody cover Methods: Nesting Vegetation Woody cover Bare ground Analysis Locations separated by: Breeding: April 1 September 30 Subset of confirmed nesting and brooding locations Non Breeding: October 1 March 30 Vegetation: Means of each parameter by vegetation type General characterization 5

6 Analysis Habitat selection using Arthur s method: Allows landscape to change over time Buffer each location by average daily movement Buffer defines availability Use vs. availability analysis in SAS 9.3 to determine selection Arthur et. al 1996 Acknowledgements Committee Dr. Craig Harper Dr. Patrick Keyser Dr. Frank van Manen John Morgan Sponsors Our hardworking technicians and volunteers References Arthur, S.M., B.F. Manly, L.L. McDonald, and G.W. Garner Assessing habitat selection when availability changes. ecology. 77 (1): Brennan, L.A How can we reverse the northern bobwhite decline? Wildlife Society Bulletin 19: Burger, L.W., Jr Quail management: issues, concerns, and solutions for public and private lands a southeastern perspective. Pages in Stephen J. DeMaso, William P. Kuvlesky, and Fidel Hernandez, Jr., editors. Quail V: Proceedings of the Fifth National Quail Symposium, January Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, USA. Limb, R.F., RF K.R. KR Hickman, D.M. DM Engle, J.E. JE Norland and S.D. SD Fuhlendorf Digital photography: reduced investigator variation in visual obstruction measurements for southern tallgrass prairie. Rangeland Ecology & Management 60(5): Nudds, T.D Quantifying the vegetative structure of wildlife cover. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 5: Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, J. E. Fallon, K. L. Pardieck, D. J. Ziolkowski, Jr., and W. A. Link The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis Version USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD Stoddard, H. L The bobwhite quail: its habits, preservation and increase. Charles Scibner s Sons, New York, N.Y. 559pp. US Department of the Interior. Office of Surface Mining The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. 6

7 Questions? 7